Speeches

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Commission statement on relations with ASEAN ahead of the EU-ASEAN Summit in December 2022 (2022/2999(RSP)).

I have to be strict now. Wonderful speeches, all full of passion. But nevertheless, I really ask everyone to stick to the speaking times. Of course, it is always particularly unfair when I say this in front of the next speaker, if someone has just exaggerated before. Nevertheless, my request, dear Ms Grace O’Sullivan, to abide by the speaking time.

All Members, without exception all, have the right to speak here in front of this lectern. In this respect, I can only apologise for this House for having done so only now. It is a matter of course.

Dear Ms Pelletier, I regret to interrupt you, as interpretation is not yet available. I do not know how the other Members are doing, but for the time being I have not received any interpretation. Ich versuche, das zu klären, und würde Sie ersuchen, dann nochmals mit Ihrer Rede zu beginnen. A little moment, please. I have to inform you from the Dometsch booths that I have been told very politely, but clearly, that there is no interpretation from sign language into the European languages into which it is translated. And for that reason, I must ask you to give your speech in one of the official languages. However, I understood your message very well that this is a wonderful occasion to include sign language in the catalogue of official languages. Intermediate question by Anne-Sophie Pelletier: And what do I do? Am I talking, or what am I doing now? I would ask you to give your speech in one of the official languages of the European Union, as listed in our catalogue. But your message is well received.

First of all, I would really like to underline every single sentence, every single word of the President. This House stands for transparency, it stands for democracy. The next item on the agenda is the debate on the report by Anne-Sophie Pelletier, on behalf of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, on Equal rights for persons with disabilities (2022/2026(INI)) (A9-0284/2022).

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the report by Martina Dlabajová, on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the 2030 Policy Programme ‘Path to the Digital Decade’ (COM(2021)0574 – C9-0359/2021 – 2021/0293(COD)) (A9-0159/2022).

The next item on the agenda is the debate on a topical issue (Rule 162) – A truly interconnected internal energy market to keep prices low and businesses competitive (2022/2961(RSP)). I would like to draw Members' attention to the fact that there are no spontaneous interventions in this debate and that blue cards are not accepted.

The minutes of yesterday's meeting and the texts adopted are available. Are there any objections? I don't see that. The minutes are thus approved.

Madam President, Commissioner, those strong and incredibly courageous women and all those who support them in Iran are heroes. And therefore the European Union must not be silent but act. Since the beginning of the Islamic Republic, women have protested against the regime’s ideology, often at great risk, while many think now it is a rebellion. I say we are witnessing of a revolution. When women take to the streets, it is a revolution. When women cut their hair, it is a revolution. When women take the hijab off their heads, it is called a revolution. The revolution is against an incredibly patriarchal regime that will not back down from cruelty. We see it. Now the demands of Iranian women appear so simple and are yet so fundamental. Women. Life. Freedom. Dear colleagues, when women march in the streets to fight for freedom, they must know that we, the European Union, will support them in their struggle for women’s rights and simply for a free life, no matter what. Dear brave Iranian women, we stand by and with you.

Madam President, The European Union is 70 years old and it is doing its job. It is about values and equality: We have really achieved a lot. It is a mosaic stone of many, but a very important one that we finally reached. We are finally giving women a fair chance to get into top positions in companies. Women are smart, they are innovative, and they are simply capable of too much, and that should be depicted as well. We all know that this is just one of many mosaic stones; But all of us, we are still working on it. I would also like to mention very personally the thanks that Lara Wolters has now mentioned, because I have really been allowed to work on this dossier for a very long time now, namely to think about those who were just creative: Let's make a question to the Council again, let's try to do something about press work again, let's do all these things as MEPs. My thanks go to Hannah Buchinger, Sabrina Winter, Melanie Köller, Stefanie Ricken, Inês de Matos Pinto. These are some of these fantastic women who are just the right draftingWork done. And I think that's exactly how women work: inclusive, inclusive, across political group boundaries and across geographical and time boundaries. I congratulate all of us. Now it's time to celebrate.

You mentioned those enterprises who would like to have more women there in top positions. When you talked to those, I mean guys leading the enterprises, did you raise also the question of the culture of how the enterprises are led? I had talks with many of those in top positions and then got information: it’s about the culture, it’s about how the atmosphere is on boards and that many top women, meanwhile, already say, I expect that there is a change, that there is respect, there is another form of treat, how to treat each other concerning working hours and everything else. So did you take that on board with these considerations you just mentioned?

Mr President, Commissioner! Thank you, Lara, for the great collaboration. This policy is overdue. This directive, which is coming now, is the teamwork of many great ones, especially women, of course, across political groups, across institutional boundaries and - we can say it, of course - across legislative periods. When it comes to making more equality – I would say more normality – the way it should look in companies, we obviously need a particularly long breath, because it is always about power. As the European Parliament, we have kept the file alive for ten years. As rapporteur, I have been fighting for ten years from the outset, together with many in the room and beyond, for us to finally abolish the quota of men on supervisory boards. And now we've finally made it. This directive on more women in management positions means that on supervisory boards and boards, qualification is finally the first thing to count. By June 30, 2026, the goals are to be achieved, and thus we finally manage to better represent society, create diversity, top-down improve the corporate culture for all. The directive focuses on the procedure for the selection of Supervisory Board members and also Executive Board members. If the selection procedure is already flawed, the best-qualified candidates are often no longer shortlisted – to the detriment of both the company and the candidates. And that is why the directive focuses on transparency and performance in the selection process. Especially where it is economically difficult – with the pandemic, with Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, with inflation and the climate crisis – we need resilient, strong companies in the European Union, and we will only achieve this if these companies finally take women on board and let them drive. If we use the full potential of the smart minds and create transparent ordering processes, then of course the companies themselves will also benefit at the end of the day. You get the best qualified people. That's what it's about. And those companies that achieve the goals should also be put on a faming list, as a positive example for everyone. But we also know: Without binding measures, nothing happens. It also provides for effective, proportionate, dissuasive sanctions against companies that breach the obligation to meet individual quantitative targets, selection procedures and/or reporting. This can be a fine, an annulment of the election, as well as restrictions on public procurement, depending on what works best where. Of course, this also includes transparent reporting on what the figures look like, that good measures are taken and that an authority also verifies this. We have also covered this in this directive. The understanding of the Directive is clear: More women in decision-making positions – this is just one of many measures that need to be taken to achieve gender equality in the workplace. Nevertheless, it is an important part, an important part of this mosaic. It is high time for positive change, for modern companies and, above all, for equality between women in all areas of the economy. That is why, as a team of the European Parliament, we are more than proud that we have finally achieved this after ten years. And that is why I would really like to thank all these wonderful shadow rapporteurs, this great team that has simply held together in this respect. Thank you to Helena Dalli as Commissioner, who has worked incredibly convincingly. Thank you also to the representatives of several presidencies – to the French ones before, now of course also to the Czech ones, but also in the past to the Luxembourgish and Maltese ones. I say this especially now because we really had to stick together here for so much time. And it turns out it pays off. It's a big day, I think, for all of us.

Now we come to the end of our session. The minutes of today's and yesterday's sittings will be submitted to Parliament for approval at the beginning of the next sitting. If there are no objections, I will forward the resolutions adopted at today's sitting to the persons and bodies referred to in those resolutions.